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Re: dado fingers question

I rabbet cut my side boards 3/4" deep and leave a 3/8" shoulder. Glue and nail with titebond. Then I place it on the floor and square up with a carpenters square. You'd be surprised how far off they can be. After a day or so stack them as high as you wish.

Re: dado fingers question

Mr Beeman.... I'm a little slow... I don't understand your part of the post above that says, " rabbet cut side boards 3/4 deep, and leave a 3/8 shoulder." Are you talking about the front and rear when you say "leave 3/8 shoulder."

Re: dado fingers question

minz... Nice explaination of setting up the box joint jig, and photos are good. Lots of people have asked about how to set up the jig. I have a sled that runs in the miter grooves, but then I do a lot more boxes than someone just building a few. I just haven't had the time to make the photos and write up the info.

I noticed your photo, linked here.......... http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/...1_01190022.jpg........ that you are using a router/shaper/dado for handles....... If you would like to make the handles more like commercial boxes,... beesource has the plans in their "Do It Yourself" library to make a very simple jig to cut those commercial looking handles with a Skil Saw. Beesource also has a link to my video on uTube demonstrating how the handles are cut, with a Skil Saw, safe, fast, easy, or if you would like, you can e-mail me at cchoganjr@scrtc.com and i will send you the instructions. No charge, and your boxes will look like commercial ones. There is a photo that shows the hand hold you can cut with the Skil Saw on post # 26 below.

Re: dado fingers question

Cleo,

A pic is worth a thousand words. I oriented the pic to my explanation.
The side dado is cut 3/4" deep to accept the front panel so everything will be flush and I left the 3/8" shoulder to nail through. Soooo simple.

Re: dado fingers question

I cut the top fingers on the sides 3/8 inch less than the others by lowering the blade on my saw by three turns. Then turn back up three turns and cut the others. That way the front rabbet fits flush against the top finger and you can nail/glue from the front. I think it makes the joint stronger.

Re: dado fingers question

Well I've been busy putting these hives together. It takes a bit to get set up, but cutting these box joint ends is fairly easy now. One things for sure, EVERYONE comments how nice they look when your finished. My only problem I had was I saw my son with his hat on backwards, I stopped the saw to yell at him to put it on right or just don't wear it. Then when I started on my end piece I forgot to put my spacer on. SO I said no problem, I will just cut the opposite on 1 of my longer pieces to match it, we'll when I ripped my rabbet on my end piece, it left a 3/8" gap on my hive corner. But I will just cut a little piece to fit it and just not worry about it. That's all you can do. Either ways, his hat facing forward.

Re: dado fingers question

Yes sir I will Mr Honeyman, in fact I just screwed up that time. I think I will start ripping my rabbet first, THEN cutting my dados. I built them today like Mr Hogan said, and it works out perfect, using the full fingers on my side pieces, that way I don't even have to chisel anything. I'm starting to see why everyone out there has 2 table saws, instead of a second table saw, I'm thinking about getting a router and router table next year.

Let me ask any of you point me to a good thread that you can build frames with a table saw only? It's either buy them, or make them. If it can be done on a table saw, I'm all ears. Thanks (seems like buying them can be rather pricey)

Re: dado fingers question

Originally Posted by whiskeytripping

.

Let me ask any of you point me to a good thread that you can build frames with a table saw only? It's either buy them, or make them. If it can be done on a table saw, I'm all ears. Thanks (seems like buying them can be rather pricey)

whiskeytripping... It can all be done on a table saw, but, I believe you will find making them, unless you plan on making a lot, you will find you had rather buy them.

Re: dado fingers question

Well I hope I haven't screwed up royally, I went outside today and checked my inside measurements on my boxes and found out they were a little smaller than recommended. I guess I had my dado set just a little too deep, I know for sure the wood was the right length. My inside length on my langstroth 10 frame is 18-1/4" L x 14-11/16" W. and my langstroth Nuc hives measure 18-1/4" L x 7-3/8" W. my question is, will this work? I don't have a frame to drop in there cause I haven't bought any yet. And if it will not work, how can I salvage this? Get out the sander? I have already assembled 2 big boxes and 4 Nuc boxes, I already have 4 more big boxes cut out I haven't assembled yet. Any help would be much appreciated

Re: dado fingers question

Just checked a new assembled frame and end bar to end bar is 17 13/16. Top bar of frame is 19 1/16 and need another 1/16 in length from end of frame rest to other end, so frames can be manoeuvered( rests get gummed up with propolis).

Width is not as imporatant as there is more surplus room.

Supposed to be 18 3/8. 18 3/8 minus 17 13/16 just leaves a bee space of 4.5/16 on either end and that is tight. And you are tighter than that.

I'd likely chuck the ends and cut the sides to be ends. But I may be called picky!

I have made supers and it is tricky and now purchase unassembeled pre cut supers.

If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got!

Re: dado fingers question

Thanks mgolden for responding, I kinda figured width wouldn't be a problem, due to me probably only running 9 frames anyways, now length on the other hand, that will be a different story. I'm not sure I could talk my wife into spending anymore money here on my hobby. So I will have to salvage what I have if at all possible. I figured worst case scenario, I would have to sand it some, and I can't stand things not being perfect myself. BUT I'm just gonna have to live with it. So the bee space on the length is critical? And I'm sure someone else has had this happen. I am definately green on my woodworking skills, and I should have thought about the dado depth killing my inside dimentions, I was more thinking about making them a little longer then sanding them perfect. Looks like I might get quite a bit of practice with a sander before its all said and done.

Re: dado fingers question

I just thought about it, but on my last 4 unassembled boxes, I could dado off 1/16" off the end plates in between the fingers. If this size is so critical. Or could I take a 1/16" off the unassembled frames when I buy them? This just makes me sick to even think about it

Re: dado fingers question

While it is important to consider bee space, your situation is not the end of the world. You may get a little more burr comb in those boxes than if you had perfect bee space, but few hives are perfect anyway after weather exposure.

My suggestion is to not magnify a small error in the boxes by modifying standard frames. If necessary, modify the boxes to be workable, and keep everything else standard.

Re: dado fingers question

Radar Sidetrack,..... Dean.......O.K. I get it now.

As I have said before, in my older years, I am a little slow. I took it that he was going to make them the old fashioned way, can't remember the name of the tool they used, that allows you to make dado joints manually,. or with a router and template, or perhaps he had found a new way to make them. It was not sarcasm on my part. I am ALWAYS interested in new ways to do things.

Re: dado fingers question

Just tell your wife you could be spending more money on golfing! lol

Seriously, I don't know as though bee space is critical on the ends walls. I know some of my dimensions are tight because I tried to add metal rests and they made the box too tight to insert a frame. Other supers/my home made ones had sufficient room with metal rests added.

If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got!

Re: dado fingers question

Radar sidetrack, thanks for your suggestion, I thought about the frames being different sizes. That wouldn't be good. Now I will rip a 1/16" off my unassembled hives. And in the burr comb, if my box is tighter than normal, they will build burr comb in it? I would figure slightly larger would Invite that. Either ways, something like this will definitely ruin your day. But you always learn in a situation like this. I guess I will sand some on my assembled hives.